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save-session

Command View source on GitHub

Save current session state to a dated file in ~/.claude/session-data/ so work can be resumed in a future session with full context.

Save Session Command

Capture everything that happened in this session — what was built, what worked, what failed, what’s left — and write it to a dated file so the next session can pick up exactly where this one left off.

When to Use

  • End of a work session before closing Claude Code
  • Before hitting context limits (run this first, then start a fresh session)
  • After solving a complex problem you want to remember
  • Any time you need to hand off context to a future session

Process

Step 1: Gather context

Before writing the file, collect:

  • Read all files modified during this session (use git diff or recall from conversation)
  • Review what was discussed, attempted, and decided
  • Note any errors encountered and how they were resolved (or not)
  • Check current test/build status if relevant

Step 2: Create the sessions folder if it doesn’t exist

Create the canonical sessions folder in the user’s Claude home directory:

Terminal window
mkdir -p ~/.claude/session-data

Step 3: Write the session file

Create ~/.claude/session-data/YYYY-MM-DD-<short-id>-session.tmp, using today’s actual date and a short-id that satisfies the rules enforced by SESSION_FILENAME_REGEX in session-manager.js:

  • Compatibility characters: letters a-z / A-Z, digits 0-9, hyphens -, underscores _
  • Compatibility minimum length: 1 character
  • Recommended style for new files: lowercase letters, digits, and hyphens with 8+ characters to avoid collisions

Valid examples: abc123de, a1b2c3d4, frontend-worktree-1, ChezMoi_2 Avoid for new files: A, test_id1, ABC123de

Full valid filename example: 2024-01-15-abc123de-session.tmp

The legacy filename YYYY-MM-DD-session.tmp is still valid, but new session files should prefer the short-id form to avoid same-day collisions.

Step 4: Populate the file with all sections below

Write every section honestly. Do not skip sections — write “Nothing yet” or “N/A” if a section genuinely has no content. An incomplete file is worse than an honest empty section.

Step 5: Show the file to the user

After writing, display the full contents and ask:

Session saved to [actual resolved path to the session file]


Does this look accurate? Anything to correct or add before we close?

Wait for confirmation. Make edits if requested.

Session File Format

# Session: YYYY-MM-DD


**Started:** [approximate time if known]
**Last Updated:** [current time]
**Project:** [project name or path]
**Topic:** [one-line summary of what this session was about]


---


## What We Are Building


[1-3 paragraphs describing the feature, bug fix, or task. Include enough
context that someone with zero memory of this session can understand the goal.
Include: what it does, why it's needed, how it fits into the larger system.]


---


## What WORKED (with evidence)


[List only things that are confirmed working. For each item include WHY you
know it works — test passed, ran in browser, Postman returned 200, etc.
Without evidence, move it to "Not Tried Yet" instead.]


- **[thing that works]** — confirmed by: [specific evidence]
- **[thing that works]** — confirmed by: [specific evidence]


If nothing is confirmed working yet: "Nothing confirmed working yet — all approaches still in progress or untested."


---


## What Did NOT Work (and why)


[This is the most important section. List every approach tried that failed.
For each failure write the EXACT reason so the next session doesn't retry it.
Be specific: "threw X error because Y" is useful. "didn't work" is not.]


- **[approach tried]** — failed because: [exact reason / error message]
- **[approach tried]** — failed because: [exact reason / error message]


If nothing failed: "No failed approaches yet."


---


## What Has NOT Been Tried Yet


[Approaches that seem promising but haven't been attempted. Ideas from the
conversation. Alternative solutions worth exploring. Be specific enough that
the next session knows exactly what to try.]


- [approach / idea]
- [approach / idea]


If nothing is queued: "No specific untried approaches identified."


---


## Current State of Files


[Every file touched this session. Be precise about what state each file is in.]


| File              | Status         | Notes                      |
| ----------------- | -------------- | -------------------------- |
| `path/to/file.ts` | PASS: Complete    | [what it does]             |
| `path/to/file.ts` |  In Progress | [what's done, what's left] |
| `path/to/file.ts` | FAIL: Broken      | [what's wrong]             |
| `path/to/file.ts` |  Not Started | [planned but not touched]  |


If no files were touched: "No files modified this session."


---


## Decisions Made


[Architecture choices, tradeoffs accepted, approaches chosen and why.
These prevent the next session from relitigating settled decisions.]


- **[decision]** — reason: [why this was chosen over alternatives]


If no significant decisions: "No major decisions made this session."


---


## Blockers & Open Questions


[Anything unresolved that the next session needs to address or investigate.
Questions that came up but weren't answered. External dependencies waiting on.]


- [blocker / open question]


If none: "No active blockers."


---


## Exact Next Step


[If known: The single most important thing to do when resuming. Be precise
enough that resuming requires zero thinking about where to start.]


[If not known: "Next step not determined — review 'What Has NOT Been Tried Yet'
and 'Blockers' sections to decide on direction before starting."]


---


## Environment & Setup Notes


[Only fill this if relevant — commands needed to run the project, env vars
required, services that need to be running, etc. Skip if standard setup.]


[If none: omit this section entirely.]

Example Output

# Session: 2024-01-15


**Started:** ~2pm
**Last Updated:** 5:30pm
**Project:** my-app
**Topic:** Building JWT authentication with httpOnly cookies


---


## What We Are Building


User authentication system for the Next.js app. Users register with email/password,
receive a JWT stored in an httpOnly cookie (not localStorage), and protected routes
check for a valid token via middleware. The goal is session persistence across browser
refreshes without exposing the token to JavaScript.


---


## What WORKED (with evidence)


- **`/api/auth/register` endpoint** — confirmed by: Postman POST returns 200 with user
  object, row visible in Supabase dashboard, bcrypt hash stored correctly
- **JWT generation in `lib/auth.ts`** — confirmed by: unit test passes
  (`npm test -- auth.test.ts`), decoded token at jwt.io shows correct payload
- **Password hashing** — confirmed by: `bcrypt.compare()` returns true in test


---


## What Did NOT Work (and why)


- **Next-Auth library** — failed because: conflicts with our custom Prisma adapter,
  threw "Cannot use adapter with credentials provider in this configuration" on every
  request. Not worth debugging — too opinionated for our setup.
- **Storing JWT in localStorage** — failed because: SSR renders happen before
  localStorage is available, caused React hydration mismatch error on every page load.
  This approach is fundamentally incompatible with Next.js SSR.


---


## What Has NOT Been Tried Yet


- Store JWT as httpOnly cookie in the login route response (most likely solution)
- Use `cookies()` from `next/headers` to read token in server components
- Write middleware.ts to protect routes by checking cookie existence


---


## Current State of Files


| File                             | Status         | Notes                                           |
| -------------------------------- | -------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| `app/api/auth/register/route.ts` | PASS: Complete    | Works, tested                                   |
| `app/api/auth/login/route.ts`    |  In Progress | Token generates but not setting cookie yet      |
| `lib/auth.ts`                    | PASS: Complete    | JWT helpers, all tested                         |
| `middleware.ts`                  |  Not Started | Route protection, needs cookie read logic first |
| `app/login/page.tsx`             |  Not Started | UI not started                                  |


---


## Decisions Made


- **httpOnly cookie over localStorage** — reason: prevents XSS token theft, works with SSR
- **Custom auth over Next-Auth** — reason: Next-Auth conflicts with our Prisma setup, not worth the fight


---


## Blockers & Open Questions


- Does `cookies().set()` work inside a Route Handler or only in Server Actions? Need to verify.


---


## Exact Next Step


In `app/api/auth/login/route.ts`, after generating the JWT, set it as an httpOnly
cookie using `cookies().set('token', jwt, { httpOnly: true, secure: true, sameSite: 'strict' })`.
Then test with Postman — the response should include a `Set-Cookie` header.

Notes

  • Each session gets its own file — never append to a previous session’s file
  • The “What Did NOT Work” section is the most critical — future sessions will blindly retry failed approaches without it
  • If the user asks to save mid-session (not just at the end), save what’s known so far and mark in-progress items clearly
  • The file is meant to be read by Claude at the start of the next session via /resume-session
  • Use the canonical global session store: ~/.claude/session-data/
  • Prefer the short-id filename form (YYYY-MM-DD-<short-id>-session.tmp) for any new session file
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